Kabul Fragment 04 – Ordinary Heroes?

"Since 2007, I have been visiting Afghanistan regularly. Every time I am in Kabul, I realize, more and more, how the country is drawn and shaped by war. There is almost no place where you cannot find signs of trauma and damage. After 30 years, these images are still there. The generation who grew up during war years never experienced their home country in peace and their life in freedom. War has been a part of their daily lives.

The city of Kabul is my research field. In 2010, I left it to visit the Darul Aman Palace, built in 1920 under King Amanullah Khan. Also called the 'abode of peace', the place has nothing to do with peace, it feels more like a shocking evidence of war. Some young soldiers who were guarding the palace allowed me to enter and film. They were guiding me through it when, suddenly, one of them asked me if he could perform a song in front of the camera.

At this moment, I experienced how daily life in Kabul was being shaped by the impact of war and the city's unstable and unsafe political situation. On a normal day in Kabul, you see more police, soldiers, security guards, blocked streets and military presence than school children. 

Mostly on Fridays, there’s a crowd visiting the zoo in Kabul. Some of them order a picture to a salesman, who offers the visitors a montage of their portraits. I spent some days at this zoo, observing the salesman while he was working on some portrait collages, and talking to him and his costumers. The costumer selects the elements and symbols for his collage and gives clear instructions on the style of his portrait. 

In the end, I bought a selection of 20 images. The salesman was the one who selected the elements for the collage, and his ‘creative work' interfered directly on the development of Kabul Fragment 04 - Ordinary Heroes?. 

As a selection of found images, on which I had no influence regarding most of the creative or aesthetical decisions, this work mirrors the social, cultural and political contexts of the capital of Afghanistan. This is why the aesthetics of the collages in this work shows how a young man portraits himself in Kabul nowadays. The tools and elements of war, the scene and landscape are part of his 'world', where he is the main 'hero' – the heart of the story. The sociopolitical situation shapes another imagery of a 'hero'. A 'hero' that is equipped with guns and ready to fight for his country. He has no fear, but a lot of strength. 

Many dialogues and emotional exchanges arose when the piece was exhibited out of the context where I found the images. The moment one looks at the collages in a neutral space outside Afghanistan, another level of reflection is built. With the distance and the lack of military presence, one might become aware – and irritated at the same time – of the force and aggression of the images. It makes you feel unpleasant and this is how questions and reflections might lead to a dialogue."
 

Jeanno Gaussi in a statement to PLATFORM:VB (October 2013)